Regulating feeding and forming roll in opening and picking machinery



March 30, 1937. KERSHAW REGULATING FEEDING AND FORMING ROLL IN OPENINGIICKING MACHINERY Original Filed Aug. 3, 1934 3 Sheets-Sheet l lNVENTORMarch 30, 1937. I .1. G. KERSHAW REGULATING FEEDING AND FORMING ROLL INOPENING AND PICKING MACHINERYI Original Filed Aug. 3, 1934 3Sheets-Sheet 2 N VEN TOR *fif D fiTTUR VEL March 30, 1937- J. a.'KERSHAW 2,75,25

REGULATING FEEDING AND FORMING ROLL IN OPENING AND PICKING MACHINERYOriginal Filed Aug. 5, 1934 s Sheet-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 30, 1937UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

REGULATING FEEDING AND FORMING ROLL IN OPENING AND PICKING MACHINERYOriginal application August 3, 1934, Serial No.

738,282. Divided and 1935, Serial No. 22,820

7 Claims.

The invention relates to a regulating feeding and forming roll in cottonmachinery, as described in the present specification and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings that form part of the same.

The invention consists essentially in introducing in a scutching andpicking machine following the collecting rolls, a regulating roll inwhich the contact with the pedals through the material,

is constructed to insure a continuous overlap of contiguous longitudinalflutes in engagement with the pedals under the treated substance, aspointed out in the claims for novelty following a description in detailof the features of the construction.

The objects of the invention are to insure a continuous pressure on thepedals through the fibrous material passing between the regulating rolland pedals which is necessary to prevent a go dancing motion of thepedals which give a false movement to the core belt driving theregulating rolls, which is very undesirable in so far as fixed resultsare concerned, and which is described in the specification attached tothe application filed under Serial Number 738,282, on August 3rd,

1934 of which this application is a division, and

generally to provide a good regulation in a machine used for thetreatment of fibrous material.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of one formof machine in which the regulating, feeding and forming roll isintroduced after the collecting rolls as customary.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine as illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional detail showing the parts concerned inthis invention.

Figure 4 is a plan view of the same parts illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a detail showing a fragmentary view of the spiral roll overthe pedals of the operating mechanism broken away towards their innerend.

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 6-6 in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional View on the line 1-1 in Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a detail showing a modification of the arrangement of flutesin the regulating roll.

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the variousfigures.

This invention has to do primarily with cotton machinery though theapplication of it may be used in other machines. However, it is onlyrequired in this particular case to show relative parts in one, whilenot claiming anything in this application May 22,

respect to novelty for these particular features or in any wayrestricting the invention to a particular field, though the cooperatingparts shown in the illustrations of the invention are largely confinedto pickers and the carriers leading thereinto, which are usually foundin scutching and picking machines.

Referring to the drawings, the collecting rolls, indicated by thenumerals I5 and i6 have the rows of spikes I! and [8 respectivelypreferably in spiral arrangement. These rolls reduce the mass of cottonto a thickness suitable for passing under the regulating roll l9, whenit is pressed against the yielding pedals 20 of the regulating motion.In order to prevent dancing of the pedals, which interferes with goodregulation, the flutes of the regulating roll are cut in spiral fashionin such a pitch that two adjoining flutes are in contact with any pedalat the same time, which maintains a continuous engagement and pressureon the cotton sheet in a transverse direction from side to side, inother words, there are no intervals between pressures as under pres entconditions where all teeth are parallel with the longitudinal axis.

The tops of the flutes 2| forming the spirals may be threaded as shownat 22. The making of the flutes of the regulating roll in spiral fashionis necessary because of the deep grooving required to collect and feedthe dense mass of cotton to the feed rolls, and at the same timepreserving an equal number of blows per inch as in a two process system.This spiral fluting of the regulating roll permits smooth contact withthe flat surface of the pedals at all times, and does away with thedancing motion of the pedals caused by deep straight grooves parallelwith the axis of the roll.

The cotton passes under the regulating roll l9 and any variations inthickness of the cotton causes alterations in the disposition of thepedals 2!]. Pedal movements collectively control the position of theregulator cone belt 23 and consequently the speed of the regulating rolll9, which is driven from it. The cotton then passes between the feedingrolls 24 and 25, which project the sheet in its flattened condition intothe path of the beater 26.

Briefly in the operation, this roll is distinctly a regulating roll,pressing the fibrous material down on the pedals until it reaches thefeeding rolls leading to the beater 26 which is the final beating totake out all extraneous matter usually driven out during the beating.

This regulating roll is known as a fluted member which presses down onthe mass of cotton in rotation and in pressing down any inequality ofthe fibrous mass will clearly show if that inequality is great enough toaffect the pedals for the roll is journalled in the sides of the machineand is therefore unyielding. Consequently the yielding must take placein the pedal structure below the roll.

This pedal structure aifects the speed of the regulating and feed rolls,and the less this speed is changed the better the result will be forvariations are not only objectionable, but frequently injurious to theregularity of the product. Therefore the straight fluted roll is not soserviceable as the spirally fluted roll, for the pitch of the spiralsmakes it possible to always have smooth contact between the regulatingroll and the pedals through the fibrous material between them.

The dancing of these pedals is a well known feature in the operation ofcotton machinery, and if this dancing is eliminated, then a greatadvance has been made in the progress of the fibrous material throughthe machine, and in this invention there need be no dancing whatsoever,though any inequality will still insure correct driving of theregulating roll and perfect regulation of the resultant lap.

What I claim is:

1. In a regulating roll in cotton machinery, a collecting mechanism, aspeed adjusting mechanism having pedals projecting therefrom and aregulating roll having spiral grooves throughout in its peripheryforming protuberances following the direction of the grooves and adaptedto engage said pedals for regulating the speed of the regulating roll.

2. In a regulating roll in cotton machinery, a collecting mechanism, aspeed adjusting mechanism having pedals projecting therefrom and aregulating roll spirally grooved for projecting spiral flutes formed ata pitch that will insure a plurality of overlapping flutes always incontact with the pedals thereunder.

3. In a regulating roll in cotton machinery, a collecting mechanism anda speed adjusting mechanism having pedals projecting therefrom, aregulating roll spirally grooved for projecting spiral flutestransversely grooved at intervals and adapted to engage said pedalsthereunder.

4. In a regulating roll in cotton machinery, a collecting mechanism, aspeed adjusting mechanism having pedals projecting therefrom, and aregulating roll spirally fluted and forming a plurality of teeth havingspiral top flats throughout in its periphery and adapted to engage saidpedals thereunder.

5. In a regulating roll in cotton machinery, a collecting mechanism, aspeed adjusting mechanism having pedals projecting therefrom and aregulating roll spirally grooved for projecting teeth having threadedtops and adapted to engage said pedals thereunder.

6. In a regulating roll in cotton machinery, a collecting mechanism, aspeed adjusting mechanism having pedals projecting therefrom and aregulating roll having spiral grooves throughout in its peripheryforming flutes following the direction of the grooves and operating incombination with the said speed adjusting pedals during the forming of alap.

'7. In a scutching or picking machine, a beater, a feed passage and adelivery section receiving fiber from said beater and having feedregulating devices, collecting rolls and a spirally fluted rollersmoothing the fibers to form a sheet and cooperating with speed changinglevers in regulating the thickness and density of the forming sheet,feed rolls, a beater receiving the sheet and rollers progressing saidsheet to a lap roll for the building of a lap.

JOHN GREEN KERSHAW.

